S.F. Loves a Parade For St. Patrick's Day / Market Street awash in sea of green

Jim Doyle, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published
4:00 am PST, Monday, March 16, 1998

= 10 year old Connolly (cq) Strombeck from Oakland marched the ST. Pat parade with Healy's Dance Group. PHOTO BY TIM KAO/THE CHRONICLE

= 10 year old Connolly (cq) Strombeck from Oakland marched the ST. Pat parade with Healy's Dance Group. PHOTO BY TIM KAO/THE CHRONICLE

Photo: TIM KAO

Photo: TIM KAO

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= 10 year old Connolly (cq) Strombeck from Oakland marched the ST. Pat parade with Healy's Dance Group. PHOTO BY TIM KAO/THE CHRONICLE

= 10 year old Connolly (cq) Strombeck from Oakland marched the ST. Pat parade with Healy's Dance Group. PHOTO BY TIM KAO/THE CHRONICLE

Photo: TIM KAO

S.F. Loves a Parade For St. Patrick's Day / Market Street awash in sea of green

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1998-03-16 04:00:00 PDT SAN FRANCISCO -- Irish dancers stepped lively while drums, bagpipes and brass reverberated through the canyons of downtown San Francisco yesterday as tens of thousands of people cheered on the St. Patrick's Day Parade.

It was a perfect day for a parade. The Irish tricolor swirled in a soft breeze under clear skies. And the festivities turned Market Street into a sea of green.

There were marching bands, drill teams, Celtic dancers, political activists, junior ROTC units, pranksters and baton twirlers from Napa and the San Joaquin County cities of Manteca and Ripon.

Lavishly decorated floats, trolleys and horse-drawn carriages made their way down Market Street -- followed by the city's finest garbage collectors and street sweepers.

Dozens of Irish wolfhounds and Irish setters eagerly dragged their masters along the parade route. And a contingent of Brownies could barely see over the big banner they held.

"We don't come to San Francisco often, but this is really great," said Dan Hyland of Concord. His wife, Filis, and daughter, Heather, rode with him on BART. And when they got to San Francisco, they purchased Irish souvenir hats for the occasion.

The lengthy stop-and-go parade struggled mightily for about three hours to make its way down Market Street. But there was plenty of good cheer. The sidewalk crowd -- sporting anything with green on it -- clapped along as Irish dancers took a turn.

"It's charming. This parade has a hometown feel," said Ruth-Anne Bender, who was visiting from New York City. "In New York, St. Patrick's Day is big business and very political."

The fanfare began at 12:45 p.m. at Seventh and Market streets and continued along a 12-block stretch of Market to the Financial District. Event organizers said more than 100,000 showed up for the show.

Mayor Willie Brown, decked out in a green blazer, headed up the shenanigans, waving to the crowd from a spit-and-polished convertible. He was followed by the usual crowd of political VIPs.

Two girls from Northern Ireland, Donna Garrett and Grainne Leathem, won an essay contest on peace in their homeland and were guests of the parade. San Francisco fire engines blasted their horns and wailed their sirens, while firefighters tossed candy and red plastic hats to the children.

And a group of Irish pranksters decorated an old school bus to look like a Celtic long boat to re-enact a Gaelic myth. One lad danced in a loin cloth and sword, while another, in a grass skirt, carried a battle ax.